The use of barrels by rodeo clowns is well known. During rodeos, and particularly during the bull-riding event, trained cowboys dressed as clowns are positioned on the ground inside the arena to distract the bull away from a rider who is thrown from the bull. By distracting the bull, the rodeo clowns are usually able to keep a bull from injuring or further injuring a downed rider before the rider can exit or be removed from the arena. Rodeo clowns typically work in pairs, including a bull fighter and a barrel man. The barrel man has a decorated steel barrel into which he can jump if charged by a bull. The barrels used by rodeo clowns must have sufficient wall thickness, hoop strength and rigidity that they will not buckle when butted or stepped on by a bull.
Because of the current popularity of rodeos and bull-riding as a spectator sport, often seen on television, these events are now witnessed and enjoyed by many children. Children are naturally attracted to the rodeo clowns because of their distinctive makeup, and also because of their antics when trying to distract a bull from a fallen cowboy. Because playing children like to emulate persons and events that attract their attention, a barrel toy and barrel toy kit are needed that will enable children to safely emulate the actions, activities and look of a rodeo barrel clown.
Conventional steel rodeo barrels are too large, heavy and expensive to be safely and satisfactorily used as a children's toy. If used by children during play, with one child inside the barrel and one child outside the barrel, the child outside the barrel could be crushed or suffer a broken limb if the barrel is tipped over or rolled onto to him or her. One clown in a barrel figure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 290,727, but the barrel disclosed in that patent is not signed in such manner that the barrel will accommodate the body of a child.